Rounding up Kentucky football's summer scholarship offers

It’s been a while since we rounded up all of the latest offers handed out by the Kentucky football staff. The last time we did so was during the middle of camp season ended in early June. A lot has happened on the recruiting trail since then. Over two dozen new scholarships have gone out to high school recruits across the country, spanning from the 2026 class to the 2028 class.

At this stage, Kentucky’s 2025 recruiting class is nearly complete. There will likely be some more additions between now and National Signing Day (hopefully with little to no subtractions), but the current 17-man group (ranked No. 21 in the country) is locked in going into their senior years. With that in mind, the last couple of months have been the perfect opportunity for UK to look ahead.

Who have Mark Stoops, Vince Marrow, and the rest of the staff been keeping tabs on? Let’s dive in and find out below, but first, here’s a quick word from our sponsor…

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Class of 2026 offers

Mitchell Smith (OT) 6-4, 325 | IMG Academy (Picayune, MS) KSR+ interview
4-star: No. 324 overall, No. 26 OT

• Offensive line coach Eric Wolford is looking to make a serious impact on the recruiting trail going into year two of his second stint in Lexington. Mitchell Smith received an offer from Wolford last week, adding Kentucky to a list of schools that also includes LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn, Penn State, Arkansas, Mississippi State, and more.

Keshawn Stancil (DL) 6-3, 260 | Clayton (Clayton, NC) KSR+ interview
3-star: No. 383 overall, No. 37 DL

• Keshawn Stancil picked up his Kentucky offer in June following an unofficial visit to campus. Defensive line coach Anwar Stewart extended the scholarship. The likes of Penn State, Florida State, Florida, Southern California, NC State, and Maryland are also in the mix. Stancil says he intends to be in Lexington this fall for a gameday visit.

Parker Pritchett (IOL) 6-4, 310 | Carver (Seale, AL)
3-star: No. 399 overall, No. 31 IOL

• The second Top 400 prospect to earn an offer from Wolford last week was Parker Pritchett out of Alabama. Missouri, Miami (FL), Louisville, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Auburn, Texas A&M, Florida, and others have also offered him, including the home-state Crimson Tide.

Jaeden Hill (RB) 6-0, 220 | Tupelo (Tupelo, MS) MISSISSIPPI STATE COMMIT | KSR+ interview
3-star: No. 465 overall, No. 37 RB

• Committed to Mississippi State since June, Jaeden Hill announced an offer from Kentucky in late July that came from running backs coach Jay Boulware. Hill grew up cheering for Mississippi State which led to an early commitment, but he plans on taking visits elsewhere this fall.

Preston Fryzel (WR) 6-4, 205 | Central Catholic (Toledo, OH) KSR+ interview

• Offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and several mid-majors. Vince Marrow has been his main contact. Former high school teammates with current UK offensive lineman Marc Nave.

Benjamin Novak (OT) 6-7, 300 | Andrean (Merrillville, TN) KSR+ interview

• Massive frame at 6-foot-7, 300 pounds. Offers from Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisville, and other mid-majors. His main contact has been Wolford and a gameday visit for the fall is in the works.

Dariyon Gordon (ATH) 6-1 | West Orange (Winter Garden, FL) KSR+ interview

• Offers from Georgia, Florida State, Central Florida, and Troy, among others. His main contact has been defensive backs coach Chris Collins.

Jalen Williams (CB) 6-0, 160 | Kell (Marietta, GA) KSR+ interview

• Also offered by Collins, Williams has been hearing from several schools throughout the summer. Tennessee, North Carolina, Duke, Pittsburgh, and Central Florida are among the programs that have also offered him.

Karsten Busch (LB) 6-2, 220 | St. Xavier (Louisville, KY) KSR+ interview

• An in-state product out of Louisville, Karsten Busch received him Kentucky offer from Marrow. Wake Forest, Purdue, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Bucknell have also reached out with scholarships.

Brandon Anderson (OT) 6-5, 320 | North Cobb (Kennesaw, GA)

• Currently unranked, don’t expect that to last long for Brandon Anderson. He’s been offered already by Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, NC State, and others. Kentucky got into the mix on Tuesday. ESPN has him ranked as a Top 200 prospect in the 2027 class.

Tavian Branch (IOL) 6-4, 300 | Riverside (Taylor, PA)

• Penn State has been all over Tavian Branch, a local product that is very familiar with the program. Wolford got Kentucky in the mix with an offer on Tuesday, joining schools such as West Virginia, Syracuse, Duke, Cincinnati, and Rutgers.

Tony Balanganayi (OT) 6-4, 260 | Palatine (Palatine, IL)

Sam Hamilton (TE) 6-3, 205 | Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, OH)

PJ MacFarlane (TE) 6-5, 205 | Lakota East (Liberty Township, OH)

Class of 2027 offers

Juju Harmon (ATH) 6-3, 190 | Western Hills (Frankfort, KY) KSR+ interview

• Teammates with current 2025 Kentucky commit Javeon Campbell at Western Hills, Juju Harmon earned his UK offer from Marrow. Eastern Kentucky has also reached out with an offer.

Champ Smith (QB) 6-1, 175 | Spanish River Community (Jupiter, FL) KSR+ interview

• A new quarterback option, Champ Smith received his Kentucky offer following a solid camp performance. Arkansas, South Carolina, Syracuse, West Virginia, Ole Miss, and more have also offered. Smith has the same QB coach as Kentucky’s 2024 starter, Brock Vandagriff.

Allen Evans (S) 6-2, 180 | Trinity (Louisville, KY) KSR+ interview

• Another Louisville product, Allen Evans saw his Kentucky offer come in from Collins following a camp in June. Louisville is the only school to extend a scholarship at this time.

Brenden Brown (WR) 6-0, 170 | Paducah Tilghman (Paducah, KY) KSR+ interview

• Teammates at Paducah Tilghman with Kentucky commit Martels Carter, Brenden Brown is familiar with UK. His older sister played volleyball for the Wildcats and he’s been to campus multiple times. Marrow is Brown’s lead recruiter. Ole Miss has also offered.

Jackson Ballinger (TE) 6-4, 225 | Centerburg (Centerburg, OH) KSR+ interview

Emerson Lewis (ATH) 5-9, 170 | Calvary Day School (Savannah, GA)

Monshun Sales (WR) 6-3, 190 | Lawrence North (Indianapolis, IN)

Akedran Crumel (CB) 6-2, 155 | Clayton (Knightdale, NC)

Class of 2028 offers

Braylen Gibbs (S) 6-2, 165 | Knoxville Catholic (Knoxville, TN)

Michael Pyne (ATH) 5-11, 165 | Tampa Bay Tech (Tampa, FL)

Koehn Dial (OT) 6-8, 295 | Battle Ground Academy (Franklin, TN)

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